The Happiness Syndrome
by Col.Foley
Summary: The Doctor and River take their honeymoon on a Commerce Planet. But not all is what it seems as the Doctor and River are sent head long into a conspiracy down to the very core. Will they be able to stop the Happiness Syndrome?
1. Chapter 1

_The TARDIS_

"Welcome to Haln!" The Doctor said throwing the doors open over a view of a sprawling metropolis. Air cars whizzed by and a blast of noise nearly knocked them back into the control room, but the Doctor grinned from ear to ear flexing his bow tie.

"That's…wow…what is it?" River asked looking around.

"It's a commerce planet." The Doctor explained.

"A commerce planet?" River asked with raised eyebrows. "You took me to a commerce planet for our Honeymoon?"

"Oh come on River!" He chastised. "Everything you could possibly want is right here, right now, on this planet. You can shop for anything, buy anything, the gleaming jewels of Geminus 7, the pearls of Pertubia, you can swim in the Rexicorn reefs," He said the last wrapping an arm around her and gesturing around looking over the city.

"Oh fine," She said sarcastically rolling her eyes, "you've convinced me."

"That's my girl," he pinched her nose before maneuvering out of the TARDIS and onto the platform.

"Wife," She corrected. He turned back to her, and she winked at him, "sweetie."

He jutted his jaw out, as she sauntered down the steps, "shopping mall this way?" She asked.

He nodded, and off she went.

The Doctor looked around the skyline taking in the sights, seeing the the ads, the neon bill boards, advertising almost everything from diet supplements to new private adventure ships for sale. The news of the day was dull, and it was a balmy 34. But his head snapped back around, _what was the date? Did I see that?_ Finally he saw the report scrolling across the screen, _August 4__th__ local…hmm_.

He turned back to the TARDIS and the doors closed on him. "Oh no, not now, why can't I just have one day to enjoy myself?"

The TARDIS trilled at him, a sharp brief sound.

"Oh fine," he snapped his fingers and pointed at the box, "but next planet we go to we are taking a vacation."

The TARDIS hummed at him.

"We'll see about that!" He turned on his deals dashing off after River, running down the flight of stairs to one of the avenue corners.

He found himself lost in a sea of people, River had rushed off ahead, and he was alone. Feeling very out of place with his purple long coat, bow tie, and expertly groomed black hair. _Well maybe not that expertly_, he felt running his hand through it. But that wouldn't help him with River.

"Doctor, over here!" She shouted.

He spun around, saw her waving at her, straightened his bow tie, and continued over to her.

"I could get used to this." She remarked proudly. "Maybe this wasn't such a bad idea after all."

He came in step with her as they took in the shop windows, dozens of people looking out over hundreds of customers roaming the streets. The whole planet in some ways was like one giant market.

"It's certainly different then your normal faire."

He shot her a look.

She laughed, "On the day of my birth you led an army of races from across time and space to rescue me and my mother. You failed because they made a flesh double of me. Then they trained me to become an assassin so I was going to assassinate you, the first time I failed and ended up saving your life and the second time I ripped a hole in time and space to rescue you."

She took a breath and leaned on him, "you then married me in a parallel timeline I created where time was happening all at once, a time line that never happened because we kissed. It just doesen't seem…as fun."

"Well, we can always go back to the TARDIS if you want." The Doctor smirked.

"Nah," She snorted, "this is fun, quiet, I can find a new dress. Won't they be just surprised when we get back to the Storm Cage?"

"Well just wait I'm sure something will happen," He muttered.

"What was that?"

"Oh nothing." He replied, she looked as though she didn't believe him, "oh look a nice jewelry shop. Come on."

They entered and the place was nearly empty of any jewelry, the shelves were bare except for a few boxes scattered here and there. A few of the shelves had cobwebs tucked away neatly in the corner. Someone was clearly doing their job, but hoping no one would notice the mess.

And it was dusty, a thin coating of dust danced in the air before them the Doctor stuck his tongue out, licked it, and made a face.

"Oh you know how to pick them don't you?" River teased. "I thought I saw a nice sports car place with gleaming metal, but no, we had to go into the dust factory."

He was too busy looking around to pay much attention, but was interrupted when a perky blond bounced out in front of him.

"Hi! Welcome to Sheffield's the greatest emporium of Jewelry in the lower C district! I am Sandy and I would be happy to help you out!" She smiled big and blinked at them gesturing her arms about.

The Doctor took her in, carefully sizing her up in a few seconds. She was thin and athletic around 5'4", could probably use to put on a few pounds. But she was flushed, her skin looked pale, her body looked drain, and her eyes were sagging. _Oh no_.

"Not much of a selection here." River commented.

"Yeah, sorry, we just got a shipment in but there was a run on the registers." She wrapped her arms around her and shrank before them.

"Oh no, its ok, plenty of jelwery stores on the planet." The Doctor smiled.

"But none as good as ours!" She replied smiling brightly.

They finished their shopping and ducked back out into the street in a gap in the traffic.

"Doctor, what's wrong?" River asked as she fell in behind him.

"Who said anything is wrong?" He replied.

"Your face?"

"My face speaks?"

"You have that look?"

"What look?"

"The look that says something is wrong look!"

He whirled on her leaning on a closed store front pinning her back, "River, you have been married to me how long and you know my looks?"

"I'm a quick study."

Some of the crowd glanced at them as they passed.

"Right, and not sure if anything is wrong. Well actually nothing is happening yhet, been on this planet five minutes and nothing has exploded, maybe we can have a nice honeymoon after all."

"Right." She sounded unconvinced but walked off anyways.

He followed her.


	2. Chapter 2

_Haln-Night Club_

The Doctor's eyes watered as a strobe light hit him directly in the face, he blinked them clear and oriented himself, spinning around, matching the tech waltz of the people around him.

He was in a night club, a place apparently devoted to crazy dancing and loud noises and weird people doing even weirder things. He scratched his chin while simultaneously dodging to the right of a careening cavalier.

"Having fun Doctor?" River asked her voice doing an admirable job of piercing the noise.

"Yes," He said, "well no actually. Expect a Weeping Angel just too just come out of nowhere and zap me."

"Why did you come if you were going to be dreadfully bored and tortured?"

"Who said I'm bored?" He jutted out his tongue and spun on his companion.

"OK then is something going on here?"

He paused, "no…"

She gave him a look rolling her eyes up at him.

"Not sure yet, could be anything, could be nothing."

"Uh huh."

They watched the dancers, four levels of them extending down wards to a bottom main floor, four flood lights highlighted the bottom while four other lights rushed around the other levels.

The Doctor watched them from above. The design of the building was supposed to funnel everyone down to the bottom, new people would enter through the top and as the old guard got tired and winded they left allowing the higher levels to filter down. Slowly but surely by the looks of it. Most of the people in his immediate vicinity weren't dancing too widely, but the lower you got, the more you seemed to dance.

The whole room was set up to add to the effect. The Doctor noticed, looking around, the perimeter, the floor. The central floor was the most well lit, and the strobe lights were rushing in a manner constantly funneling the people in a down ward direction. And the more people went, the wilder they danced, which meant they would only be able to enjoy their prize for a few minutes before being forced out from running out of breath.

And people really didn't seem to care about anything else here other than the dancing when they were here. It was almost as if, he could feel something if he could just concentrate…closing his eyes…leaning over the edge…

"Come on Doctor the line is moving!" River yelled in his ear snapping him out of it.

"What?" He asked his eyes snapping open.

"Sweetie, this way!"

He found her, and followed her down, trying to stay out of the line while following it, people were restless, tapping their feet to the beat of the music. At least from here they were free in the dark, away from the confusing spectrum of strobe lights and music, he could think, as he passed by several bars around him.

Ponder the problem of what was going on this entire planet.

"Hey babe!" Someone yelled in his ear grabbing him by the arm and turning him around. "Want some press mix?"

"What?" He asked.

"Press mix, it will get you feeling good in three minutes flat!"

"Back off honey he's my husband." River said coming in.

"Husband? What's that?"

"We're married."

"Marriage?" The blond woman giggled, "Silly no one does that anymore."

River's cheeks flushed and instead of responding she decked the woman right across the jaw, the Doctor jolted dramatically almost toppling with the woman. He succeeded in yanking his hand out, coming up straight, and straightening his bow tie.

"River! Must I say I completely disapprove?"

"I'm sorry, but nobody touches my Doctor."

"Hmmm." He stroked the side of his face.

"Oh you liked the attention?" She asked at him.

"No, just you…this whole planet…is acting a bit…odd."

"I feel fine." River commented.

"Right," He took his screwdriver, turned it on, and touched his head with it. Then held it up in front of his face. "Perfectly normal in fact."

"Hello honey what do you want?" The bartender asked as she came up to him.

He felt River tense beside him but made no other outward sign of protest.

"Hello," he said finally, "I'm the Doctor and I would like ginger beer."

"What's Ginger Beer?" The woman asked dropping her head to look at him better.

"No on the Ginger Beer then," he replied, "then tea then, good cup of tea is what I need."

"Does this look like a bar mate?" The bartender asked.

"So no tea then." The Doctor said crestfallen.

"Two glasses, the strongest red wine you have." River said coming up next to him finally, impatient.

"Sure thing babe." The man said coming going back towards her glasses and bottles.

"River! Do I look like a wine person?" He smiled.

"Oh Doctor, if this is our honeymoon, then you need to loosen up sweetie."

He tried it, taking a brief sip from it and gunning it down, then made a face, saw the look on River's face, and gulped it. "Hmmm," He said trying to sound as convincing as he could possibly manage.

The line started moving again so they found a gap and pressed their way through. They met no further resistance but a few curious and dirty looks the Doctor smiled at the couple following them before spinning around and slowly maneuvering. Finally, they made it to the second level.

Now he could hear the pounding of the music, some people's hips started to swing to the rhythm…butts started to stick into the air.

"Eyes forward soldier."

He snapped up and glanced around at his wife, mouthing "sorry."

River led him, he was the last in line for a while, and her hips were starting to swing. The Doctor just slammed his hands over his ears and tried to hum really loud to block it out, but the more he tried, and the lower they got the more the music went 'whum whum whum' in their ears.

He yelled out, "How can you people listen to this…Music!"

"Whaat?!" River replied.

"Oh, never mind."

She smirked at him looking around and then gave him a tap with her behind as they scooted along.

"Yes, very nice."

"Are you bored?" She asked in his ear.

"Extremely…" he groused, "but there is something here." A sudden loud thump of music caused him to wince.

Finally, after about ten more minutes crawling over the lower decks they finally reached the bottom of the dance floor. They spit out and ejected, and found a square all too themselves. River let out a whoop and started to dance jumping up and down.

The lights whirred around him as he glared up, flashing in his eyes.

His foot began to thump, almost by itself, as he began getting into it. "I could get used to this." He rose his arm up and tugged at his sleeve, "oh yeah I could used to this," He spun around completely turning to face River, "professor River Song."

"Yes?"

"Geronimo."

And they danced the night away, as long as they managed, lazily drifting in a wild waltz over the dance floor.

Slowly they were pushed to the opposite edge, away from the center, almost against their will. The crowd swirled about them, almost enforcing a natural limit as they could not force themselves to stay, could not maneuver beyond the wall of humanity and flesh, unrelenting, forcing them away.

Finally they popped out and the Doctor blinked, his senses returning to him and his mind reeling from the assault which just ended.

"Interesting."

"Doctor?" River yawned tiredly.

"Come on, let's find a hotel or something, and I have to look into a thing."

"What thing?" She asked absentmindedly.

"I don't know yet, but I am sure I won't have to wait long."


	3. Chapter 3

"Eyes front soldier."

The Doctor jutted his lower lip out and ran his tongue over his teeth turning to River. He was starting to feel bored, and when he felt bored his mind wandered, and when his mind wandered his eyes did likewise. But the look on River's face indicated she had just enough of his feelings.

"Her pattern, it had fezzes on it."

She laughed, "It did not," she looked at it and frowned, "Well son of a gun I guess it did."

They walked along the boulevard hand in hand, the Doctor felt the wind through his hair, but slowly River started to fidget in his hand.

"Don't you think you are a little over dressed sweetie?"

The Doctor smiled looking around the beech as they crested over looking out at the vast artificial ocean, its waves slamming into the onlookers as they careened towards the shore.

"No, not exactly, this is a lot more comfortable than it looks," he grinned at her.

She looked back at him skeptically.

"Time Lord Science, bigger on the inside, causes an airflow to leak through, keeps it nice and cold. And if I need warming up I can just throw a flare in there and get it going."

"Genius." She muttered.

They walked off the boardwalk and onto the beach, his black shoes crunching through the sand, River looking as though she wanted to run off and leave him behind. But worse of all they were attracting attention, _the dashing rogue with weird dress habits and the pretty lady_, the Doctor grinned. A pair of women nearly tripped over them walking passed causing the couple to come up short, the Doctor looking curiously after them.

"Well you coming?" River asked breaking him out of his gaze.

"In there?" The Doctor pointed at the ocean and his mouth peeled back into a snarl, he gestured to himself, "does this look like good swimwear?"

"You said it was bigger on the inside?"

"Which is not conducive to swimming!" He yelled, then sighed, "Go on have fun I'll watch you from here."

She eagerly separated and dived in, after all this was more for her then it was for him. After all he wanted to do was dive into something face first and then pull it out again. Despite his recent problems, despite Amy and Rory being a still open wound, he felt alive going with River here, she made him feel better. Especially her which was before he lost the Ponds, she had no idea their fate.

But he knew eventually he would have to face his feelings again, he would have to face himself, and the choices he had made of late. Being with River he could pretend there wasn't a hole in his hearts where Amy and Rory used to be, but soon, he would face those feelings…_and it just might destroy me_.

He felt a prickling at the back of his neck, twisted it, working the kink out closing his eyes and trying to resist the feeling of overall unease he was suddenly getting, not at his current topic of thought either…it was almost like…

"Hi, I'm Claire!"

He jolted out of his reverie and looked right, a black haired girl stood there her hair tied back into a bun.

"I'm the Doctor," He smiled, intending to make polite conversation.

Instead she blinked at him and then grinned at the thought, her face going blank, "Did you say you were the Doctor? Doctor Who?"

"Just…the Doctor," He sighed exasperated.

"Well there is something here," she replied.

"Oh," He said his mouth opening in surprise, he twirled around the people and beech objects blurring in his vision, he completed his turn, his arm out at his side, "I would have never guessed."

"No not like that," She shifted on her feet frowning, "something is growing in the heart of the planet, keeping us…happy."

"Well if it's keeping you happy I would say well on it," He punched her arm.

"No not like that," She was growing increasing uncomfortable, "it's like…It's like…"

"Doctor!" River called.

His head arched over to her voice and he blanched, he looked back at Claire, and she was gone. He pondered it looking back at River as she exited the water streaming off of her skin. She approached him and flung her arms at him. "Best honeymoon ever!"

"I should hope so?" He asked her with a smiling glint in the eye.

"Oh you are certainly my first sweetie."

"Excellent," he clapped his hands together and spun around, "how do you feel for ice cream?"

"I would love some sweetie."

They paraded across the sand into the boardwalk quickly dodging through the busy crowd. The Doctor got to the window and collapsed across it leaning his hands through the door.

The woman attending the stand turned to them slowly and arched an eyebrow.

"Hello I and my wife would like ice cream, two scoops each. She would like vanilla and I would like…apricot or prune flavored or…oooh fish custard might be nice to."

The lady again arched her eyebrows and replied, "One vanilla ice cream coming up."

The Doctor pouted as she disappeared back. It took her about five minutes to reappear holding the cone.

"That would be ten tensla please."

The Doctor frowned getting his screw driver out and waving it over her machine, it beeped at him as it accepted his currency.

"Say, you wouldn't happen to know what the center of the planet is would you?"

"No!" She blushed angrily.

"Are you sure?" He pressed.

"Yes, and you would do good to forget all about it to!" She disappeared before he could ask her anything else.

"Doctor what was that about?" River asked.

"I don't know…there is something here, something out of the corner of my…mind...I can't feel…can't see it…can't touch it…but I know it's there, waiting."

"This wasn't just a honeymoon was it," River sounded disappointed.

He sighed, "it was supposed to be, but I noticed the date was off…I wanted to land at the height of the summer not the end of it, and now…"he looked around, then started walking quickly, away from the beech and the onlookers and crowds of carousers. River fell in behind him.

"Have you noticed how everyone is just about their lives doing the bare minimum, even less then the bare minimum, to get to what they think of as their fun or entertainment? No one watches where they are going, everyone is focused on what they want to do, as if in a trance. And also, its dirty," he pointed to a trash going back, "litter is everywhere, no one cleans up after themselves."

"But the people here are friendly," River responded.

The Doctor cleared his throat, "Hi welcome to the most awesome jewelry shop in the entire universe! Where we have cobwebs growing out of the boxes! Oh and see how awesome my pretty teeth are!" He announced shrilly then smiled showing off his white teeth at her.

"Point taken," River replied, "so there is a thing here, a thing hidden in the shadows, what are we going to do?"

The Doctor slowly smiled, "Why poke it with a stick of course."

He broke into a run heading for a computer terminal leaping over a railing.

"Computer, what is at the center of the planet?" He asked when River caught up.

"You are not a recognized user of the network, please desist in your questions, or you will be…answered…shortly…help! Help! He's in my circuits!" The computer started panicking.

"Oh hush I'm not in your circuits, my screw driver is," he grinned wiggling the sonic around as it whirred dramatically.

The computer groaned, moaned, silenced, and then beeped. "Welcome to the central internet, how may I help you?"

"Show me all information on what is at the center of the planet," the Doctor ordered.

It did so bringing up a blue two D display of the center of the planet, slowly lines drew across the screen, showing buildings, and pipes and smoke stacks.

"Industrial plants?" The Doctor asked incredulously, "well I suppose it makes sense. After all they designed this place as a Commerce Planet, this must be the engine, all that power, all that commerce, contained in a matrix…right…there." He jabbed his finger at center.

"Anything unusual?"

"No," The Doctor admitted glancing back at the screen, "Well there is a radio tower or something…but it's not transmitting…not radio waves anyway."

"What is it transmitting then?" River asked her voice rising in hope.

"I don't know." The Doctor grinned.

"I say we have our destination,"

"Shall we?" The Doctor took her by the arm and led her off.

**AN: **Happy Birthday to the Doctor, today, is the Day of the Doctor and what a wonderful day it was. Considering how awesome it was I could not resist sharing this today. :P


End file.
